Efforts by the DuPage County Forest Preserve District to renovate the Mayslake Peabody Mansion have run into a snag as the Oak Brook Village Board delayed a request to give the district a one-year extension on its special-use permit.
The village also decided to review whether the district’s latest plans for restoring the historic home and its adjacent buildings have gone beyond the scope of the original special-use permit.
Jerry Bulifant, supervisor of the Mayslake Peabody Estate, came to the meeting hoping to receive the extension. In his presentation to the board, he explained the forest preserve’s new plans, which set off alarms for some trustees.
Trustee Gerald McInerney said he would not vote for the extension because the original scope of the project has changed.
“What is being proposed tonight has totally different purposes than what was originally presented to us,” McInerney said.
Bulifant said new plans that were developed over the last year call for renovation — and not demolition — of the retreat wing of the mansion that was built by the Franciscan Order, the former owners.
Plans call for the wing to house support offices for the mansion, as well as a museum, tea room, community meeting rooms and a warming kitchen for catering uses.
The chapel located within the retreat wing is also being spared the wrecking ball and may be leased out to a Shakespearean theater group for winter performances and may also be used for wedding services and banquets, he said.
Those uses may not fall under the existing special-use ordinance that is held by the Mayslake Landmark Conservancy group, which originally applied for the permit, said Village Manager Stephen Veitch.
The Mayslake Landmark Conservancy has since changed its charter and is now the fundraising and advisory arm of the project, while the Forest Preserve District has taken the lead on the project work.
“If the district continues with the idea of the original ordinance and stays within the physical limits of the original special-use [permit] beyond just changing the date, then there is no discussion,” Veitch said last week. . “If they continue to go beyond what was originally proposed, however, then the Village Board will find that it will be a necessity for them to go back to the public hearing process and the Forest Preserve District will have to be the petitioner.”
The project already has received one extension, which expires Feb. 13 if certificates of occupancy for the buildings are not issued. The Forest Preserve District had requested another extension for an additional year while it undertakes the historical renovation of the mansion for public use. They are currently working on life safety and meeting codes set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Bulifant said he was disappointed by the board’s decision to table the request.
“I believe the Mayslake position hasn’t changed. We are just adding the theater and support services to the retreat wing,” Bulifant said.
